Looking for some encouragement...

[mfixx3]

I will apologize up-front for the length of this post...

Yesterday, my Augie (M, 3 yrs old) woke up and wasn't feeling well. He started shaking all over (almost violently) and his back legs looked a little stiff. I called the vet as this was the 3rd time we've seen this behavior in six months (March he went to vet and got some anti-inflammatory, late May he went to vet and they tried to tell us it was GI related). Yesterday morning the vet told us he might be having an allergy issue or perhaps a thyroid issue. They ran some bloodwork and sent us home with an anti-inflammatory.

My husband and I went to work and got home around 5 PM to find our puppy sitting in the middle of the floor. His back legs were not working and although he didn't cry once, he was very obviously in a lot of pain. We took him to the emergency vet clinic and they immediately sent us to a 24-hr neurological vet hospital 1.5 hours away. We got there at 9 PM and they were prepping him for spinal surgery by 11 PM. A CAT scan revealed a ruptured disc right below the base of his rib cage (middle of the back). Prior to surgery he had sensation and reflex response in his toes which I'm told was a good sign but absolutely no motor function.

The surgery ended around 1:30 AM at which point they told us that it was a textbook surgery - the spinal cord was intact, the disc surgery itself was a success, and he respoded very well to the pain meds. There were two troubling things, when the disc ruptured, a fragment of bone punctured a vein and he was hemmoraging and secondly, he apparently has many bulging discs.

As of 9 AM this morning they did another reflex and sensation test which Augie passed - full feeling in both legs, feet and toes (again, I'm told a good sign). They will keep him for 5 days for recovery and a little physical therapy. They are removing the catheter today.

I know spinal issues are common with frenchies as are degenerative disc diseases (which he has) so I am hoping that folks here can give me a little encouragement right about now. I haven't slept, I can't eat and I'm generally in a daze - this all came on so fast! He was perfectly fine yesterday - no rhyhm or reason.

They say he will be kennel bound for 6-8 weeks although a lot of folks on the boards state about a month before walking normal again.

Any advice, encouragement, words of wisdom - anything would be appreciated. Thank you for a very worried and panicked mommy.

[kasia]

i'm so sorry to hear about your pup's health problems, i totally can understand how frightened you must feel. the good thing is that the surgery happened before further damage was done, and it sounds like he'll be walking again.

my frienchie gave me a scare when one day i came home and he couldn't stand on his back legs. it lasted only a short while, though. e=rays showed a butterfly disk but since he still had movement and feeling, i did not elect surgery hoping rest will fix it. it did, and he's back to normal, although i know that he might have future back problems.

crate rest is essential for a good month, if not more. that doesn't mean that he can't walk at all, but that he walks minimally, just to do his business. no vigorous playing, no jumping of any kind. in fact, i would try to eliminate jumping on and off furniture for good (might need to buy those little steps to get on the couch, or train him to wait for you to pick him up or down - i know, easier said than done:). my breeder recommended accupuncture as part of future preventative treatment - it along with rest totally healed one of her dogs when it went down badly a while ago.

on the other hand, a dog has to be a dog. so i would still let him play with other dogs etc, just try to eliminate some unnecessary strain on his back like jumping on and off furniture, stair climbing, jump up for a stick or a toy etc.

it sounds like he will be fine, which is the most important thing. i think there are owners on this board whose frenchies had the surgery and came out okay and back to their normal funny selves. hang in there! kasia

[mfixx3]

Thank you... I won't lie, there's a part of me totally fearful that I won't get my playful, funny Augie back (if that makes any sense) and that this could happen again. I am beside myself and trying to think positively but yet there's this part of me that aches about his pain. I am hopeful for a full recovery and he tends to heal fast so I'm hopeful for that too. I just wish there was something else I could do. Do those doggie steps actually work?

[KarenTX]

probably not be happy being on crate rest, but it's the best thing for him to have an uneventful recovery. A friend of mine has the steps for one of her older dogs and it's worked great, he uses them instead of jumping up and down. I think that will be important. Good luck..............and hugs coming from Texas!

[mfixx3]

Hello to all,

Just an update about Augie... he is home now and resting (although he hates being confined to the kennel). He's on plenty of meds and he is walking although he is very ataxic. It's really tough to watch.

In addition to having degenerative disc disease, his blood tests came back yesterday and we discovered he has a thyroid issue - specifically a low thyroid (hypothyroidism).

Does anyone know of any connections between spinal issues and an underactive thyroid? Does anyone have any suggested reading materials for supplements or specific foods that might help? Also, for those of you who have had a frenchie go through spinal surgery, any advice or hints on how to help them recover? The vet suggested a little physical therapy each day (5-10 mins) and Augie will start it but gets very agitated after about 2-3 mins so we stop. Any suggestions?